my cell number is being used by someone else

[Sonex]

My cell number is being used to call a phone in NS. I have a limited plan and there is a person using up my 50 phone minutes per month. How do I get rid of this? They are using my cell number.

[carlaspapa]

@Sonex 

The community can be really helpful. I've learned a lot from them. Just sign in when you have some down time. You might even earn a community reward.

[darlicious]

@Sonex 

I see @Yummy has forgotten what it's like to be new to the community and when no one tells you how to tag other members is as easy as tapping the "@" key and magically a little box pops up with usernames in it. If you dont see the name you are looking for just keep typing it out until it does pop up.

[softech]

@Sonex   on the point about using VoIP app advised by @darlicious , try TextNow as well.  I find the voice quality on TextNox is much better than Fongo..

[Yummy]

---

@Sonex wrote:

Thanks. that's helpful. I'll check it out.

---

What is helpful??? What are you going to check?

What message you reply to? It will help if you quote either user name or part of the message otherwise such reply is not very useful...

[darlicious]

@Sonex 

Since you want to learn here are a few points in understanding your usage. Assuming that you are on the $10 50/50 plan (Its a good one...keep it as its now grandfathered and no longer available.)

• Calls to your voicemail that you make are in local time. These count against your minutes.
• Calls that forward to your voicemail from incoming callers are in eastern time. These do not count against your minutes.
• Calls to toll free numbers like government agencies do not count but stay on hold. Don't take the call back option as they will count against your minutes on the $10 plan.
• Pm does though limit calls to 150 minutes and will cut you off if you exceed that limit.
• Texting all occurs/recorded in eastern time according to your daily usage pages.
• Data is recorded in two 12 hour blocks of time daily. If you have not data on your account there will still be small amounts of usage recorded (from your OS connecting with the server I assume....pay no mind to this its just a pm quirk.)
• Pm also has about a 5mb buffer when you connect to mobile data but this is returned to your data nightly or when you toggle airplane mode on/off.
• Calling your own phone number from another phone or using a voip app like fongo while on wifi to reach your voicemail and pressing "*" when it connects and entering your 4 digit voicemail allows you to access your messages and save on outgoing minutes.
• You can also use fongo for calling to numbers here you may be put on hold or where your caller ID makes no difference to you to also save your minutes since the $10 50/50 plan meters both incoming and outgoing minutes.
• Fongo works on both wifi and mobile data. Calling while on mobile data uses approximately 0.5mb per minute. (100mb=200min.)
• MMS does not consume metered data nor are they metered like SMS. MMS only requires that you have mobile data toggled on. You do not need a data plan or add on for them to work. Choosing to send a text as an MMS in your text app settings or including a pic with your text will not count down on your allowable limited 50 SMS texts.
• Alternatively you can use an app like text now for texting while on wifi (or on mobile data.)
• Incoming texts on the $10 50/50 plan are unlimited.
• If you purchase a data add on or are gifted one from pm ( hopefully in a few days we will get some Xmas freebies from pm....stay tuned for that!) then the data defaults to full speed 4G LTE data not the throttled to 3mbps 4G LTE data that newer customers have to settle for.
• You can purchase any available add on within your account to the $10 50/50 plan.

Hope this helps you understand your plan and how to manage your account effectively. If you want tips on how to save on data usage we can help with that as well. Welcome to the community!

[Sonex]

Thanks. that's helpful. I'll check it out.

[Anonymous]

 @Sonex : Don't worry about resetting your home internet.

[Anonymous]

---

@Sonex wrote:

I was told at two public mobile kiosks today and yesterday that my plan does not allow add-ons, which is what I was trying to do. 

---

@Sonex 

Spoiler

i suggest you close all Browser and do clear cache and cookies for any Browser,

and try open one Browser incognito mode,

or try it for a different Browser and open incognito mode,

how to open Browser incognito mode visit Here link,

how to clear cache and cookies and History visit Here link,

and use a Browser from your computer,is better

use Browser microsoft edge or chrome latest version
and just make sure your Browser is up to date update
sometime is the Browser is not update is give a issue.

how to update your Browser visit Here link, 

and Restart your computer, is will help a lot,

and if you use a home internet take your power internet off for about

a 1 minute and put it back on,to refreshing your network,

sign in to Self-Serve, to review your account,

How To Purchase Add-Ons Using Your Self-Serve Account

To purchase Add-Ons using your Self-Serve account, follow these steps:

1. Click on ‘Purchase Add- Ons’ on the Overview tab and scroll down to the Add-On calculator.
2. Click the plus sign (+) to add and the minus sign (-) to remove selected Add-ons.
3. When you’ve added all your desired Add-Ons, click ‘Buy Add-Ons’ or ‘Make a Payment’ below the calculator:
   • You will see ‘Make a Payment’ instead of ‘Buy Add-Ons’ if there are not enough funds in your account to make the purchase.
   • If you don’t have sufficient funds to purchase the Add-Ons, you will be asked to make a one-time payment equal to the price of the Add-On, less your current available funds. Click ‘Submit’, then ‘Go back’: now the button below the calculator will say ‘Buy Add-Ons’.
4. Select ‘Confirm my purchase’, and you’re off to the races!

5. after you Add-on you have to do Rebooting your phone

   what is mean for Rebooting the phone means to turn off your phone and turn it back on again.

Overview Of Add-Ons visit Here link..

[Anonymous]

 @Sonex : I would definitely be "talking" with the CSA's over all that peculiar cross-talk going on. That doesn't sound right at all.

But as for minutes and texts...the front page counter is the most accurate and immediate.

So can you call in/out, text in/out without incident?

Edit: I don't think there was an old plan with just 50 minutes before the last 50 minute plan. You can definitely add add-ons to this plan.

[Sonex]

I was told at two public mobile kiosks today and yesterday that my plan does not allow add-ons, which is what I was trying to do. 

[HALIMACS]

---

@Sonex wrote:

Duh. Never thought it was my PM retrieval as I have never pick up messages. Curious as to why it ran for that length of time. 

---

@Sonex 

Those calls to voicemail create a lot of understandable confusion for users.

Basically, when someone calls your Public Mobile number and they get your voicemail, the call gets 'recorded' under your call history in self-serve as an "outgoing call" to the voicemail number.  That's because the caller to your number is being redirected to the local voicemail routing number for PM's voicemail server in the area you are in.

SO, basically all those outgoing calls to the numbers ending in xxx-xxx-4001 can be ignored and do not count toward your outgoing calling minutes.

[Sonex]

No not poking around. Just someone trying hard to learn how to do things on my own. I appreciate the help and have learned a few things in the last few minutes from this community. I had 50 minutes to use every month and after two weeks of hardly using any minutes I get an automated message saying I have no more minutes left. I checked my log to see where I have used them, (which is hardly any minutes used) and this number pops up. 902-580-4001. I don't retrieve messages and feel foolish that I didn't know the number was for picking up messages. I made an assumption that with the quantity of minutes used beside this number that there was a "hack" type situation.

I have what looks like many attempts on my phone to "download" multiple recipients texts from someone as well as responses from a different recipient.  I have no idea if those multiple recipient texts and attempts by my phone to download them are part of my problem. What I do know is that I was unable to make a call this morning. My conclusion is that I am using minutes unknowingly and need to check that out. Thanks for your response. I will continue to get to the bottom of this...and in the process build my skills with the help of the community.

[dabr]

---

@Sonex wrote:

Duh. Never thought it was my PM retrieval as I have never pick up messages. Curious as to why it ran for that length of time. 

---

@Sonex   If you don't retrieve then nothing to worry about.  Unanswered incoming calls go to voicemail which appears in your PM usage log.  Still a good idea to purchase the very affordable $5/500 mins add-on as back up mins since they don't expire until depleted.

Edit:  To clarify unanswered incoming calls where a caller has left a message goes to voicemail. 

[Anonymous]

 @Sonex : Do you use your voicemail? If not then there's an option to not allow recordings. It can greet the caller and then it will hang up.

[Sonex]

Duh. Never thought it was my PM retrieval as I have never pick up messages. Curious as to why it ran for that length of time. 

[Anonymous]

 @Sonex : What brought you here to ask? Were you just poking around the self-serve looking at things? I wouldn't worry too much about the detail logs. It's the front page counter that matters. If that seems to be consuming your minutes unknowingly then that's a peculiar problem. I have 3 of those plans. I've never noticed anything odd like that.

[softech]

---

@Sonex wrote:

Yes. It's 902-580-4001

---

That's PM voicemail number..  you likely have been using the phone to call your voicemail.  That would count towards your minute bucket

Updated list of Voicemail Access Numbers - Community (publicmobile.ca)

[Sonex]

Two years.

The most recent calls used 7, then 19 minutes. I looked back at my phone log and there are numerous calls. Nov. 3 was 38 minutes. I haven't looked back more than two months. I'm currently checking my call history.

[Anonymous]

@Sonex 

you need to Contact Customer Support Agent by CS_Agent, and Explain your issue to 
them can solve your issue, they are nice Service Team they will help you 100%.

Here’s How To Contact Customer Support Agent by CS_Agent,and Submit a Ticket,

• Get help with your account the easy way by starting a conversation with our virtual assistant, SIMon. It’ll take you to relevant help articles, or if it’s something more urgent, it can help you submit a ticket to Customer Support Agent by CS_Agent,Click Here link,to get started. Type,, Ticket ,, Click ,, Contact Us ,, Select your issue ,,
  Click here to submit a ticket↗↗.

• or you can send a private message to Customer Support Agent by CS_Agent, by Click Here link,

• please include in your message,
  
• phone number,
• account 4 digit pin,
• Email address,

• Customer Support Agent by CS_Agent, will Response to your inbox by private message 
• During business hours, we strive to answer customer messages swiftly. You will often get an answer within an hour. During peak periods, you may need to wait up to 48 hours.Customer Support Agents are available:
  • Monday to Sunday: 6 AM to 10 PM EST
  • Note: For public mobile No Support by phone call or Email.. only by CS_Agent, private message..
  
  Check your private message inbox (click on the envelope top right of your screen)

         Good Luck...

[dabr]

---

@Sonex wrote:

Yes. It's 902-580-4001

---

@Sonex   That's just the voicemail and will only count against your mins if you listen to the message by pressing 1 on your dialer.  You can listen to your voicemail message from another phone and then your minutes don't get used.

[Anonymous]

 @Sonex : Can you call in/out, text in/out, browse the internet on any data add-ons? Are the minutes going down on the overview page counter? Or are you seeing these calls in your usage details?

[Sonex]

Yes. It's 902--580-4001

[LeePublic]

@Sonex How often does this happen? Could it be a reused new number that someone gave up? How long have you had this number?

[dabr]

---

@Sonex wrote:

My cell number is being used to call a phone in NS. I have a limited plan and there is a person using up my 50 phone minutes per month. How do I get rid of this? They are using my cell number.

---

@Sonex    Does the number end in 4001?  That would be PM's voicemail number and doesn't use any of your available mins unless you retrieve your voicemail messages.

You can add the $5/500 Canada wide mins to your plan as back up mins which stay on the account until completely used up (no expiry for domestic add-ons).